The Blood Crows (Roman Legion 12)

Copyright © 2013 Simon Scarrow

The right of Simon Scarrow to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2013

All characters – other than the obvious historical figures – in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

Jacket illustration by Nik Keevil

Epub conversion by Avon DataSet Ltd, Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire

eISBN: 978 0 7553 5722 2

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About the Book

For nearly ten years, the Roman Empire has fought tirelessly to assert its hold over Britannia. It remains a bitter struggle, and increasing opposition from native tribes has worn down the men of the legions.

Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, renowned for their experience and unwavering loyalty, are sent from Rome to aid the campaign. Placed in command of a forward outpost in the heart of the mountains of Wales, they are tasked with destroying resistance by any means necessary.

Not only must they defeat the ferocious warriors of the Silurian tribe and their fanatic Druid leaders, Cato and Macro must also fight for control of a Thracian cavalry cohort under the command of Centurion Quertus, a man who has suffered at the hands of the enemy and who wages a savage war, endangering all those who follow him.

This will be a brutal fight to the finish. And if Cato and Macro can lead their men to victory, then there may, finally, be peace in Britannia.

About the Author

Simon Scarrow is a
Sunday Times
No. 1 bestselling author. His bestsellers include his earlier novels featuring Roman soldiers Macro and Cato, most recently PRAETORIAN and THE LEGION, as well as SWORD AND SCIMITAR, about the 1565 Siege of Malta, and four novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte – YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, fire and sword and THE FIELDS OF DEATH. He is the author with T. J. Andrews of the bestselling ARENA, introducing the gladiator hero Pavo.

Simon’s novels have been published in the USA and in translation all around the world.

To find out more about Simon Scarrow and his novels, visit
www.scarrow.co.uk
and
www.catoandmacro.com
.

By Simon Scarrow

The
Roman
Series

Under the Eagle

The Eagle’s Conquest

When the Eagle Hunts

The Eagle and the Wolves

The Eagle’s Prey

The Eagle’s Prophecy

The Eagle in the Sand

Centurion

The Gladiator

The Legion

Praetorian

The Blood Crows

The
Wellington and Napoleon
Quartet

Young Bloods

The Generals

Fire and Sword

The Fields of Death

Swor
d and Scimitar
Arena

The
Gladiator
Series

Gladiator: Fight for Freedom

Gladiator: Street Fighter

Gladiator: Son of Spartacus

Praise for Simon Scarrow’s novels of the Roman Empire:

‘I really don’t need this kind of competition . . . It’s a great read’ Bernard Cornwell

‘Rollicking good fun’
Mail on Sunday

‘Scarrow’s [novels] rank with the best’
Independent

‘[Simon Scarrow] blends together the historical facts and characters to create a book that simply cannot be put down . . . Highly recommended’
Historical Novels Review

‘A satisfyingly bloodthirsty, bawdy romp . . . perfect for Bernard Cornwell addicts who will relish its historical detail and fast-paced action. Storming stuff!’
Good Book Guide

‘A fast-moving and exceptionally well-paced historical thriller’
BBC History Magazine

Ad meus plurimus diutinus quod optimus amicus,
Murray Jones

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE ROMAN ARMY

The Fourteenth Legion, like all legions, comprised five and a half thousand men. The basic unit was the
century
of eighty men commanded by a
centurion
. The century was divided into eight-man sections which shared a room together in barracks and a tent when on campaign. Six centuries made up a cohort, and ten cohorts made up a legion, with the first cohort being double size. Each legion was accompanied by a cavalry contingent of 120 men, divided into four squadrons, who served as scouts and messengers. In descending order, the main ranks were as follows:

The
Legate
was a man from an aristocratic background. Typically in his mid-thirties, the legate commanded the legion for up to five years and hoped to make something of a name for himself in order to enhance his subsequent political career.

The
Camp Prefect
would be a grizzled veteran who would previously have been the chief centurion of the legion and was at the summit of a professional soldier’s career. He was armed with vast experience and integrity, and to him would fall the command of the legion should the legate be absent or
hors de combat
.

Six
tribunes
served as staff officers. These would be men in their early twenties serving in the army for the first time to gain administrative experience before taking up junior posts in civil administration. The senior tribune was different. He was destined for high political office and eventual command of a legion.

Sixty centurions provided the disciplinary and training backbone of the legion. They were handpicked for their command qualities and a willingness to fight to the death. Accordingly, their casualty rate far exceeded other ranks’. The most senior centurion commanded the first century of the first cohort and was a highly decorated and respected individual.

The four
decurions
of the legion commanded the cavalry squadrons, although there is some debate whether there was a centurion in overall command of the legion’s mounted contingent.

Each centurion was assisted by an optio who would act as an orderly, with minor command duties. Optios would be waiting for a vacancy in the centurionate.

Below the optios were the legionaries, men who had signed on for twenty-five years. In theory, a man had to be a Roman citizen to qualify for enlistment, but recruits were increasingly drawn from local populations and given Roman citizenship upon joining the legions. Legionaries were well paid and could expect handsome bonuses from the emperor from time to time (when he felt their loyalty needed bolstering!).

Lower in status than the legionaries were the men of the auxiliary cohorts. These were recruited from the provinces and provided the Roman Empire with its cavalry, light infantry, and other specialist skills. Roman citizenship was awarded upon completion of twenty-five years of service. Cavalry units, such as the Second Thracian Cohort, were either approximately five hundred or a thousand men in size, the latter being reserved for highly experienced and capable commanders. There were also mixed cohorts with a proportion of one third mounted to two thirds infantry that were used to police the surrounding territory.